Nothing ruins a great product launch like brilliant Microsoft licensing. Exchange 2007 will be no different, take a look at whats raising the blood pressure around Exchange communities:

Outlook 2007 grant for Exchange Server 2003 CAL customers

Unlike prior versions, Exchange Server 2007 Standard or Enterprise does not include the right to install Outlook on devices for which CALs are obtained. However, for each Exchange Server CAL, Core CAL Suite or Enterprise CAL Suite with active Software Assurance coverage as of November 30, 2006, customers will be granted one Office Outlook 2007 license. The right to use Outlook under that license expires upon expiration of the corresponding CAL. Use of Outlook under this offering is subject to the customers’ license agreement and the product use rights for that product. If Software Assurance coverage on the corresponding CAL is maintained continuously (i.e., renewed with no lapse in coverage), and one later version of Office Outlook (i.e., N+1, where N=Office Outlook 2007) is made available prior to the expiration of that coverage, customers’ license will be for that version instead. Alternatively, customers are eligible to acquire Software Assurance coverage for that Office Outlook license, provided that coverage is acquired by February 28, 2007. Customers who wish to acquire Software Assurance coverage for Office Outlook after that date must first acquire a new license for the version of Office Outlook that is current at the time coverage is acquired.

So unless you were on Microsoft Exchange 2003 with Software Assurance by November 30th, 2006 you will not be getting a copy of Outlook 2007 when you upgrade to Microsoft Exchange 2007.

This is going to pose a significant problem for companies that have budgeted Microsoft Exchange 2007 purchase but have not made plans to move to Microsoft Office 2007.

My Opinion:

This is either brilliant or idiotic, I am not sure which. On one hand, this will force the customers to see even more value in Software Assurance, a program that has been seen by many as a relatively worthless set of benefits with no worth-while upgrades over the past few years. On the other hand, this eliminates Microsoft Outlook as the defacto Microsoft Exchange user interface and shifts more users to OWA and Windows Mobile.

End game? Microsoft gets more Software Assurance subscribers but opens the door wide open for Open Office. Now if they were just smart enough to create a web-only desktop and integrate OWA with the productivity tools at Office Online…. Wait, wasn’t that Google’s supposed plan all along? Booya!

I think they did this, because most people buy Microsoft Office anyway and don’t use the copy of Outlook with Exchange. Hence why Exchange 2007 doesn’t come with Outlook 07.
They thought it was a good idea, guess we will see.
But I’m talking from the point of small biz computing and not big biz.

Everybody uses email, but not everybody uses Office. Not once in my 10 years working with SBS have I had a client say that they felt cheated because whatever Office version they had purchased had Outlook, so they already had a copy.
You cannot fully utilize Exchange 2007 without Outlook 2007 IMHO. I see it as an integral part of Exchange. If everyone purchasing Exchange (especially SBSers) is expected to have to throw down an additional $75-$100 for Outlook, I think that MS is delusional. On the other hand, if Outlook is so valuable that it needs to be seperated from Exchange, then we should expect to see a significant reduction in the Exchange User CAL price, shouldn’t we?

[...] game? Microsoft gets more Software Assurance subscribers but opens the door wide open for Open Office. Now if they were just smart enough to create a web-only desktop and integrate OWA with the [...]

Hello Sir,
wish to know if we don’t purchase full office package which includes(microsoft outlook,word,excel,powerpoint,access). Just we want to reduce the cost so We will just be requiring microsoft outlook 2007 only .Can this only package be bought in order to reduce the cost. Currently our exchange server is 2003.
Need your Guidance.

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